Sharole Saldivar, CEO, Ministry of Home Affairs
"The nine vehicles valued at US$380,000 are more than tools. They represent the shared vision of safety, security, and progress."

Debra Baptist-Estrada, Director of Immigration
"Belize experience an increase in the number of both regional and extra-regional migrants who are using Belize as a transit point and the false pretense for the purpose of tourism to reach the United States-Mexico border."

"These movements had some significant impact on Belize as a country within this region, and therefore the border management and immigration services was forced to bring to the cabinet of Belize the need to reinstate some visa restrictions on certain countries whose nationals were in fact moving through Belize."

"This was all in an effort to minimize the impact of the individual using our legal ports, and in particularly the Philip Goldson International Airport. Notwithstanding, Belize, as you are aware, have very porous borders and therefore irregular migrants with the help of human smugglers were facilitating the movement via irregular means."

"We have seen the likes of transnational gang members, the MS-13, 18th Street gang members, and the like. We have found persons who are in possession of altered and fully counterfeit passports who are utilizing our porous borders with the help of smugglers within our own country and those countries within the region."

Estella Leslie-Bailey, Comptroller of Customs
"In recent years, the customs landscape has grown more complex with increasingly sophiscated smuggling operations, fraudulent activities, and transnational crimes. Therefore, it is critically essential that we keep pace with these evolving threats, and the enhanced mobility provided by these vehicles will allow us to stay ahead of those who seek to undermine our laws and regulations."

Chester Williams, Commission of Police
"It certainly is going to help to reduce the threat that our country faces from transnational organized criminals. The U.S. Embassy or the U.S. government and the Belize government do have shared responsibilities, shared values in terms of making sure that we stem these plaguing issues in our country so that they do not move further up north to the U.S."

Tanya Santos, CEO, Ministry of Immigration
"The gentle waves from the pebbles in the river are not enough, an unwavering commitment. To make things right by all and for all is what it will take to move the needle. We need the waves of boulders. Let us be boulders."

Notably, two of the pickups will be used by the Mobile Interdiction Team for the newly launched Police Road Patrol Unit.